Nicole, from the Journeys Within office in Laos, takes a closer look at some of the traditional foods that shouldn’t be missed…
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I had the pleasure of joining my friend and owner of one of the most renowned restaurant’s in Laos, Tamarind, for lunch to learn a little bit more about some of the countries traditional cuisine. Caroline Gaylard and her husband Joy Ngeuamboupha have one of the most bustling restaurants in the World Heritage city of Luang Prabang. Tamarind allows travelers the opportunity to experience Lao specialties in the comfort of a western run boutique restaurant on the quiet banks of the Nam Khan River. Since everyone knows about the quality of ingredients and the authenticity of the dishes and their flavor, it can be hard to get a table. If you’re planning on visiting, which we highly recommend while in Luang Prabang, please call a head for a reservation.
Insider’s tip: If you didn’t make a reservations, go early for a bite around 6pm. If you’re willing to go early bird style then you’re more likely to get a table.
Here are just some of the famous dishes you can find at any number of restaurants or markets in Luang Prabang. Overall everything is extremely fresh and ingredients are from their garden or other local farms.
Koy Paa
This dish is very similar to a popular Thai/Lao dish called Laap. There are different versions of Laap all over the country. What makes Luang Prabang’s Laap special is burned eggplants over open fire and pounding them, skin and all, into a paste and then tossing in with buffalo intestines. However, this dish does not include those two ingredients but shares a lot of the same herbs.
Fish (my favorite is with fish but could be with chicken, pork or buffalo) cured with lemon
Mint
Shallots
Lemongrass
Chili peppers
Saw tooth Coriander
Fresh veggies and herbs to clean palate when it gets too spicy with hot chilis
Taste: Super fresh , light, minty and sour
Bamboo Soup
This dish is a memorable one because of its distance taste. You have never had anything close to this in the west. The key ingredients of bamboo and an herb called Yaa Nang give the dish it’s peculiar taste. I absolutely love it, but honestly it’s hard to describe, you just have to try it!
Young Bamboo Shoot
Cloud Ear Mushroom
Bitter small eggplant
Young Pumpkin
Lao Basil
Saw Tooth Coriander
Yaa Nang to make the broth
Taste: Earthy, Peppery, hearty, unusual
Soop Pak
This dish is one you can find in almost any Lao home The vegetables and herbs used are dependent on the season but one core ingredient is always used, a particular yellow flower grown on a thorny bush. This flower gives the dish a bitter taste. You will find that a lot of Lao dishes will be bitter. The Lao believe the more bitter the taste, the healthier is for you.
Yellow Flower
Bitter small eggplant
Seasonal vegetables
Ginger
Pepper
Galangal
Sesame
Taste: Earthy, Nutty, Bitter, Fresh
Kap Pee Dipping Sauce
Kap Pee is something you can find in almost any Lao home or local restaurant, but it normally doesn’t look like this. Tamarind has adapted it and made it a lot more palatable. Kap Pee is usually a dark brown and in paste form. It is made from fermented shrimp and is used to dip vegetables in usually while having a local noodle soup. It is served with a mix of steamed veggies and herbs.
Kap Pee
Sugar
Lime
Garlic
Chili
Taste: Sour, Spicy, Fishy with a sweetness
Stuffed Lemongrass
If you went to a local market you would likely not see the stuffed lemongrass but instead stuffed bamboo. Both compromise of similar ingredients and are prepared the same, however the lemongrass version is a lot lighter. This is one of my favorites, its super delicious and fun to make.
Lemongrass
Typically pork (this one is make with chicken)
Garlic
Spring onion
Corriander
Lime
Egg coating and fried
Taste: Fragrant, Herby, Fresh
Mok Paa
This is another one of my favorites. Steaming meat and veggies in banana leaf which is called “mok” is big tradition in Lao cuisine. This famous version is steamed fish and super tasty and healthy. Don’t judge it by its appearance; it’s delicious.
Fish steamed in banana leaf
Dill
Lao Basil
Garlic
Chili
Pounded sticky rice
Taste: Earthy, Fresh, Light
Sticky rice is a stable in a Lao diet. Most countries in SE Asia consume steamed rice while the most popular in Laos is the sticky, served either white or a shade of dark purple. Sticky rice is to be eaten with your hands and dipped into sauces or used to grab bites of food. It is typically served in a bamboo woven basket called, Eab khao.
Rice
Taste: Deliciousness